The Songbird and the Dragon
by Sulfur Dusk
Summary: AU - Arendelle is a kingdom eternally submerged in winter. After many quiet centuries, the fabled dragon that lives in a palace of ice demands for Arendelle to deliver a sacrifice. In order to save the man she loves, commoner Anna becomes the ideal scapegoat. However, upon meeting the monster, Anna seals more than just her life. [ Elsa x Anna ]
1. Prologue

**The Songbird and the Dragon**

- A _**Frozen**_ Story –

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

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><p><em>Arendelle: a once-profitable kingdom settled in Scandinavia, with warm summers, content villagers and a very successful trading system. Now the kingdom is encompassed in a seemingly eternal winter. A dark legend surrounds these mighty stone walls that the neighboring kingdoms have no knowledge of… the curse of the dragon that dwells in the palace made entirely of ice in the mountains. Every ten years the dragon is presented a sacrifice and the kingdom must abide by the wishes of the beast in order for the wintry submersion to break.<em>

_And of course, it all directs towards the curious, warm-hearted village girl Anna Belacqua, who will gladly trade herself for the life of her childhood friend and crush, Kristoff. _

_But upon encountering the legendary creature, things take an interesting turn and Anna loses something much more important to her than her life… _

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><p>Prologue<p>

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><p><strong>The Legend of the Great Blizzard<strong>

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><p>In Scandinavia, a wealthy, gorgeous kingdom sat amongst a bed of water and stones.<p>

Each morning and afternoon, the crisp, navy-blue waves of the sea, topped in pearly bubbles, toppled against the docks and caressed the bellies of ships ready to leave for trading. The sun blazed from a usual corner in the definitive periwinkle sky, where clouds rolled and crisscrossed in blissful white. Villagers would scamper about ready to purchase whatever they needed for future festivities and holidays, and in a massive, elaborately decorated castle once housed the proud area's kings and queens for generations.

Unfortunately traditions were forced to halt as scandal broke into the open and last King and Queen of Arendelle were dispatched without heirs; tragedy struck Arendelle due to this and the people were left without a suitable ruler. Rumors speculated that there truly was an heir and no one simply knew of the mystery child, but these whispers were put to rest as numerous uprisings broke out and the kingdom was throttled with mockery, deceit and anguish.

Decades after the passing of the last rulers, communications had severed between Arendelle and the Southern Isles, eliminating most trading opportunities. The massive ships, bold and made of polished rosewood, were forced to remain docked and unused for many years. Eventually the ships and even smaller boats were sent out into the ocean in order to capture as many fish as possible for the kingdom, though no profits were made.

However, Arendelle was not exempted from the wrongdoings of criminals and a justice system. Numerous citizens attempted to take up a bold position as a candidate for leadership, though the public were often hesitant to accept such a claim as the law had already collapsed into shambles. Eventually soldiers contacted overseas arrived to control the chaos, but to no avail.

And then, the sun disappeared completely behind what was said to be a universal blanket of blackness as thick as smoke and as eerie as the texture of ink. It was said that within three days, the kingdom was encased in a veil of ice and frost, where a storm brewed and then the most unholy sight of hall had befallen the landscape: a massive dragon—said to ripple with crystalline scales and frosted wings—descended upon the castle and demanded that the people retreat to their homes and bring forth a sacrifice, one that would accommodate for their selfishness and greed.

The villagers, stricken with fear and desperation, refused to cooperate with the dangerous beast and hid in their homes rather than obey the monster. The dragon, angered by this wreath of terrible decisions, cast the kingdom into an eternal winter and pledged that if the villagers did not offer a suitable sacrifice, then the devastating cold would remain and they would freeze to their "deserving deaths".

So in response the villagers fearfully sent forth many sacrifices to appease the dragon, though none were to the monster's liking. The winter only grew harsher and more devastating, until the dragon was not heard from again for many centuries, and the kingdom was still trapped in complete disarray. Sometimes the frigid mornings and nights were not completely terrible, as the villagers learned to adapt and tried figuring out methods of leaving away from Arendelle forever.

Though, the legend was not long forgotten.

Three centuries after the Great Blizzard, children had claimed to see an ethereal form, slender and unidentifiable, and nonetheless feminine. Mothers would scold their children and tell them that nothing lied beyond the blizzard or the mountains in the distance. The dragon was resting, dead, or anything else that would let the village rest in total peace and harmony.

A figure that resembled a woman would not be identified easily amongst the snow and ice... according to them.

Of course, some of the children were indeed correct. As sightings grew more common, some of the boys and girls even scoped out features of what the mysterious "ghost" looked like: some claimed the ghost was female, with pale skin and a body that was young and sculpted like that of a true woman. Though no actual sightings were conducted and they were only dubbed as hallucinations.

And then, once peace finally began to settle in Arendelle and the legend tossed into the background for the good of the kingdom, one curious village girl decided to question about the legend and turn the entire kingdom upside down.

Her name was **Anna.**

_And this young, beautiful girl of sunshine and determination would forever change the world of Arendelle… for_ _**better and for worse.**_


	2. The Reluctant Martyr

**The Songbird and the Dragon**

- A _Frozen _Story -

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><p><strong>I<strong>

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><p><span>The Reluctant Martyr<span>

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><p>She'd dreamt of miles-long fields decorated with fresh, towering blossoms, and the chorus of laughter amongst happy people, freed of any constrictions in life and death. Trees whistled with music, couples in love were alive with dancing, and the pure joy that radiated across the fictitious meadows raced through the villager's subconscious even after she woke.<p>

She carried the burdens of her dreams—these places of lost ambitions and memories, and did her best to store them away whenever she could. Because, once she embraced the trials and tribulations of an orphaned girl in a Scandinavian marketplace that once boasted the greatest produce and supplies in all of the seas… well, she knew that times had changed, and Arendelle would look at her no differently than they would any other pickpocket.

Stealing was not what Anna wanted to do for the rest of her life. Hell, it wasn't what she aspired to be as a person—a lowly thief, scrounging through the dark alleyways at night, partnered with nothing but a hulking blonde man who promised extreme riches if they pursued their goals without hesitation.

Granted, she always kept only a third of what she stole for herself, leaving what remained to the even poorer children that weren't strong or fast enough to evade the patrolling soldiers if they dared witness her. Her own life was not her priority, but no one would hire her once she was old enough to leave the orphanage. Her heart was riddled with spunk and positive forces, but her mind was lost elsewhere, amongst the sea that led to anywhere else outside of the frigid Kingdom of Arendelle.

But at least she'd never been caught. She reminded herself each and every day, that just because she was once an orphaned girl, did not mean that she was allowed to carry herself without authority. She wanted to be stronger, to grow, and she was quick enough to evade law enforcements, unlike her unfortunate partner, whom had a distinct problem with getting arrested on a regular basis.

"'S not gonna be easy trying to steal today," Kristoff muttered, taking a swig from the steel flask in his hands. His woolen gloves were dappled with frost, wisps of wheat-colored hair draped over his sunken, bloodshot eyes.

He was exhausted, as Anna could see. She understood that the nights were long, the food tasted like reindeer shit, and he'd had enough of his own problems to deal with. Being trapped behind bars in the smallest prison hold in Arendelle—which only meant that he wasn't even worthy of being boarded with the other cargo that traveled overseas—scratched Kristoff the wrong way, and for once, she didn't feel obligated to blame him.

Still, it didn't excuse the frustration building inside her chest like a firecracker. "You were supposed to do your best to _not _get caught, Kristoff. I can't keep breaking you out of here… they even have _wanted _posters for you! In _Arendelle_." She grinned, trying to lessen the weight on her partner's shoulders, but he was just as miserable as before, smirking in thankfulness at her being there. Whenever he got arrested, she always came to visit, even when it struck her with annoyance at just how easily he tried avoiding his responsibilities as a simultaneous thief and man of the law.

Though the "man of the law" title was always stretched over the truth.

"Get me out of here, will ya?"

"I can't. The locks are much sturdier and the window's blocked off." Anna leaned back, checking to see if the soldier who let her in was still present. If he heard what she was saying, it would be the first time Kristoff had his esteemed friend by his side in a prison cell. "You were reckless, you know. I can't keep helping you." She pinched the bridge of her nose, her free hand pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders. Soon, the breeze would heighten in force, and the winds would pull and brush over their exposed flesh as if they weren't used to the climate. "I'm serious. And are you actually drinking right now? While I'm talking to you?"

Kristoff shrugged. "Depends what you mean by _drinking_."

"I mean what you're doing with that totally-not-full flask in your mammoth hands." Anna smirked in satisfaction once her partner quirked a grin; at least he was in good spirits. He was so used to being thrown in jail that it didn't seem to matter anymore. "I'll go and get you food if I can. Maybe someone else will know how to get you out of here." She nodded her goodbyes, making sure to leave the fondest of smiles hanging in the air once she passed the wooden doors.

Outside, the temperature dropped immensely. She breathed slowly in the cold, snow-drifting air. Today was one of the better days, though the sun never shined, and the weather never altered from being swept into a ferocious tundra. She wondered just how long this winter would last, and her dreams of spring would never be realized for as long she lived. She remembered clambering to the windows with Kristoff and the other orphan children around ten years ago, their memories completely swamped with stories of the afterlife, of demons, ghosts, spirits… dragons.

The fabled monsters were fascinating to Anna as a child, and, despite her consistent optimism with how she graced the streets at night (in order to be a thief, there had to be confidence in all areas, something she luckily _did_ have), she continuously thought of the legends that passed between them. In her most private moments, huddled with ten to fifteen other boys and girls around the hearth in the middle of the coldest nights, she remembered the stories that passed between them tossing hot potatoes.

The most popular ones always had something to do with dragons. They were feared immensely within Arendelle, their images plastered on the unused walls of the castle, coats of arms with no ruler attached dangling on banners as if they were going to war, and even the city watchmen proclaimed their honor in the deeds of a dragon that, as far as Anna was concerned, never existed and never _will _exist. It was a child's story, a legend, a distraction for orphans in order to take their gloom away.

It was nonsense, and she'd attested to that. She may have been smiling more than half of her lifetime, but if she didn't smile, who else would? Kristoff was a ball of realism and pessimism, but he could never seem to find the balance between the two distinctions. Anna couldn't remember when they became friends, exactly, but whenever she talked to Kristoff, she was reminded of his bitter views of the world.

In all honesty, it was immensely hard not think about the negative when your warmest moments were huddled in a prison cell with nothing but a cluster of candles. Anna needed to break him out of there before he reverted to his grumpy state of mind. Alcohol would only hold him over for so long.

_Just my luck_, she thought miserably, staring ahead of her at the closed shops in the marketplace. She had a few spare coins she'd picked up from a daydreaming watchman, and she was planning to use what little currency she currently had to at least buy Kristoff some fruit or anything similar. But with the shops closed…

Her brow furrowed in confusion. Today wasn't a holiday. At least, not one that she was familiar with, and she'd lived here her entire life. She motioned towards the smithy, where a kindly old man with a long, graying beard that looked like a broom head of wires worked for ten to twelve hours a day. As the blacksmith, his facilities were _always _open, and he was fine with refusing to take holidays.

Anna smiled as she came up to him, fluttering her eyelashes for extra charm. "Mr. Barnabas?" She called, and he glanced up from his work. The veins bulging in his biceps and the harsh glare in his deep green eyes were a sharp contrast to what she was normally expecting. "Um, do you have any idea why the other shops are closed?"

He blinked, his shoulders cracking sharply as he straightened them. He dropped his tools, the embers flickering onto his apron. The singe marks and tattoos that adorned his flesh should've been a primary indicator for Anna to run away, but she knew who this man was, and he wouldn't harm her in broad daylight… or at all, if her instincts served her correctly.

"It's not a good day for anyone to be out, Miss," he answered gruffly. "The storm is coming soon, you know."

Anna frowned. "The storm? What do you mean?"

He seemed exasperated. "Don't you have something better to do? Pick up your scrawny ass and head back to wherever you live, little girl. Nothing is safe right now; I just have nothing to worry about."

Anna bristled at the insults. The nerve of this man… "I was just asking a simple question. There are no holidays coming up, and all the shops are closed." She smiled sweetly—she was an expert at practicing these overdone emotions, especially at this point in her life when the guilt in the back of her mind dwindled in silence. "My friend is sick, so I'm trying to get food for him. Is there any way that you can refer me to a storeowner? Just to open their shop for a few minutes?"

The blacksmith ignored her, resuming his work of hammering onto slabs of steel and iron.

The pickpocket grumbled something inaudible, deciding that it wasn't worth her time. She turned on her heel, ready to leave and head back to the prison cell to explain to Kristoff that he would have to deal with starving himself until he was released—

"You're a fool if you're going to be out here for long."

She stopped, glancing over her shoulder at the man who dismissed her presence only seconds before. She folded her arms under her chest, quirking an eyebrow in curiosity. He saw this as a sign to continue, so he did, and she didn't like his answer.

"Today's the one hundredth year since the monster came to Arendelle. It said it would come back today… you know how these people are." He frowned noticeably, even through the thick bush of a beard swinging from his chin. "Paranoia claims these villagers more than the average flu does."

Anna couldn't believe this. Her shoulders shook with amusement. "You can't be serious. Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" She sighed in dread. "Stories are stories. Legends are legends. I haven't heard anything of the sort." She continued on her way, knowing that this would only continue to be a waste of time.

Her own parents, when they were alive, never informed her about tales and legends up to those standards. She wasn't familiar with a lot of monsters, even when her friends in the orphanage were constantly mentioning dragons and faeries and other creatures of the supernatural that had no business in her universe.

It was practically her job to remain logical, just for the sake of her sanity. Was it strange that Arendelle hadn't seen a glimpse of the sun or heat for at least a hundred years? Was it impossible to even consider the fact that maybe something otherworldly was in focus? In her opinion, it had nothing to do with magic.

Perhaps it was a stroke of awful luck. She found it more believable than whatever the blacksmith was trying to tell her.

She thought more about her current situation, about the fact that her only friend was locked in a prison cell for petty crimes that he was too foolish to learn how to conceal. How could _she_, formerly one of the most respectful children that stalked the streets of Arendelle, be better at falsifying her emotions and putting them on display than the very male who taught her? From day one, he helped hear learn that the world was not a place where black and white judgment was allowed, as the gray area between was far too broad to ignore.

Her boots sloshed through the snow, the crunching all too familiar to her ears. She was thankful for the cheap cloak that she managed to pay for with a couple of silvers she'd plucked off an unsuspecting magister from overseas. She glanced up at the skies, just as gray and dreary as they always were, and the clouds nothing but a permanent blanket of ash.

When she started heading back to the jail cell without any food, she saw something that intrigued her. One by one, villagers of all kinds—children, mothers, husbands, wives, fathers—walked like motion-controlled zombies outside of the comfort of their respective homes. She heard dozens of wooden doors creak open, the grating of footsteps on snow vibrating in a tidal wave. She considered turning around, to follow the direction of where they were heading, until she noticed that the watchmen were walking this way as well.

What was going on?

Her lips set in a thin line, she tenderly reached out and stopped one of the soldiers, instantly regretting her decision since there was a chance he could recognize her. But when he glanced at her, not a single ounce of recognition flashed across a pair of warm brown eyes. "Miss, I suggest you move in line with the others. This is a dark time that we've been waiting for."

Anna blinked, confused. "I don't understand. What's going on?" The watchman's eyes bulged in shock, and he hesitated, as if explaining anything to her now would just be totally hopeless. The villager felt blood rushing to her fists, frustration clouding her judgment. "Listen, I'm tired, and a bit cranky, so I would appreciate it if, as a member of the city who is designated to protect us, that you could answer my question. You know, if it fits with your schedule." She crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently, and tried to ignore the steady pickup of the winds.

It was getting colder, and the frantic pulsing through her veins was enough to envision a collapsing of a mountain.

The watchman stiffened, but his eyes were less rigid. He was probably in his mid-forties, give or take. "It's been one century, lass. The dragon… it's coming here, as promised. We've been waiting for this day for too long."

Anna's heart skipped a beat, disbelief shrouding her freckled features. "I… what? A dragon?" She couldn't believe this. The blacksmith had just mentioned something similar to her. It wasn't like the soldiers would even bother playing a joke on her, and making the villagers move out of their homes in preparation for nothing… but still, it all seemed so ludicrous. There was just no way. "I… I've never heard of a _dragon _being a part of anything in Arendelle. I mean, I've heard of the stories, but…"

The soldier scoffed. "Then you've been living under a rock." He scowled. "Move along, or at least get in line. You're less likely to suffer from the beast's wrath if you have a good understanding of what will happen. Hell, we already have an offering prepared for the monster. Some petty thief taking coppers from an old lady."

Anna blanched. _Kristoff? _

Before the guard could leave, she snatched his wrist, desperation lacing her voice, her entire body shaking as she struggled to grapple what was happening. "What do you mean an _offering_? You can't be serious about all of this. You're jesting."

But he was serious. She could see it in his unwavering, smoldering eyes. "Just move along, lass. There's nothing for you here, unless you plan to swim." He gestured to the frigid, icy waters that could barely sustain the ships that traveled back and forth with trade across the oceans.

Anna stiffened, slowly dropping her grasping of his wrist, and he yanked his arm further away from her. The steel armor plating encasing his undoubtedly strong body was imprinted with the bluish images of a dragon, something that Anna had known about, but never really paid attention to. Now it seemed that she was the foolish one, and her life over the last decade or so was reducing to shambles.

She needed to find Kristoff.

But she didn't have to, for she witnessed the blond hair of her dear friend dwelling in the snow, as if his body had just been viciously shoved into that exact spot. The hair along the nape of Anna's neck stood on end, her nerves quickening as she realized just how heavy this situation was. If she didn't do anything quickly, those soldiers would do something to Kristoff, whether there was a dragon or not.

He was yanked by his scalp, forced to trudge along on his feet and—damn the bastard, he was drunk off his rocker—and the jail overseers trudged him through the snow, tugging him along like a rag doll. Anna tried reaching them, but the crowd had gotten thicker, and atop the bodies of clothes, varying in all sorts of shapes and sizes, she could see her hope slipping away. It was like she was dreaming, her lucid self trying to take over to the best of her abilities, but nothing was allowing her to do so. Her greatest efforts would be lost within the frost, torn up by the storms, and stomped on by these selfish watchmen who believed in corrupted fairy tales.

She couldn't see him, and she was starting to panic.

The next fifteen minutes were torturous. Anna found herself swept into the crowd; it was the only way she could adjust to this. If she was going to help her friend, the one person she had left in her life that actually mattered to her, she needed to do something about it. She couldn't bring him food, she couldn't break him out of jail like she normally would, and because of her stopping to talk to a damn blacksmith, she was forced to witness events that were starting to become completely out of her control. Her own stupidity was going to affect Kristoff, and he didn't deserve that.

Villagers shuffled beside one another in unison, surrounding the frozen water fountain that apparently worked over a century ago. The waters were cracked blocks of ice, stacked on top with layers of crisp white snow, a sight that was perfectly reflecting of Arendelle's soul: still, and stuck and time.

She struggled to relax; what was going to happen now? She looked ahead of her, at the trembling watchmen, fear clearly gripping them in a way that made even their high quality suits of armor tremble in unison. Kristoff was dragged between them, looking distracted, his eyes boring into the frost. He must have been drunk… so drunk that he refused to look at her.

And yet… A part of her thought he somehow _knew _they were going to try something with him. Maybe he'd overheard the guards talking some nonsense, and he was too lost in his booze to notice the truth lacing each word. Anna felt her bones shiver in compliance with the snow; she was struck with uncertainty, not knowing what to do. She could play hero and dash with all of her might towards the watchmen, but that would end in both her and Kristoff's demise—a terrible move, and not a smart one.

The winds howled in increasing speeds. Total silence blanketed the square, the whispering of curious children the only things that served as a distraction to Anna's thought process. She watched, transfixed in utter bewilderment, as the winds picked up once again, but in a way that she'd never seen before.

The snow started gathering… color? Pieces of what looked like ice, but clearly wasn't, clung to the rippling air like serpentine spots. It shone blue amongst the crisp whiteness, a shade she wasn't used to seeing unless she was looking at the frozen sea, and yet, even now, it was different. Her childish heart—the piece of her that she'd stashed somewhere dark in her mind for many, many years—began to reopen, a sudden realization dawning on her.

Was she… wrong? Her entire life, she'd fought back the tales of monsters and faeries, of dragons and swordsmen and women in peril, desperately wishing their headstrong saviors would come to their aide. Yet while she stood here, nothing but a fledgling in a colony of brown cloaks with strawberry blonde braids, and her heart sped up so quickly that she thought she was going to collapse. She'd never felt jolts of excitement like this, so palpable and real, that she knew this wasn't a dream.

The storm began to settle, and the most startling sight greeted the villagers. Anna heard a hush gather among them, the children's jaws slack in utter disbelief, shock, and awe as they admonished what had appeared from high in the clouds.

Anna stumbled. It was a magnificent creature—a creature built of slender muscles, with scales that glistened against the snow like layers of porcelain. The neck was long and the body lean, like a reptilian thread, and yet, the most immaculate _wings _were perched between the creature's shoulder blades, spread out wide from its descent from the heavens. Its talons snagged into the frosty earth, as black as obsidian stones, and the pair of large, almond-shaped eyes were colored as deep as the bluest ocean, yet when the sharply-structured head turned, the orbs shone like glass. The different hues of silver, white and blue shimmered on the monster's body like a constantly churning river; a living jewel.

It was the most_ gorgeous_ living thing Anna had ever seen. She was speechless, so wrought up in her shock and awe that she couldn't even decipher what was set before her. Around her, the villagers dropped to their knees, muttering prayers in unison, their pleas for mercy clear as they broke the barrier of silence.

Kristoff was the only person standing, until he realized what was before him, and he was compelled to drop to his knees. Anna could see his legs quake in fear, and she knew, from the deepest pit of her heart, that the man she grew up with, the man she secretly loved, was willing to give up his life after all. He had known this entire time, not intending to tell her a single thing.

But she wasn't going to let him play hero.

"P-Please, just… just make it quick," Kristoff muttered, rearing back his head and glaring with utmost defiance. His fists were clenched at his sides, his throat raw from the alcohol. "I'm willing, despite what this looks like…" He breathed shakily. "Whatever it takes to protect them, I'll take it."

The dragon did nothing. Silence settled over the village square once more, yet when Kristoff glanced up to see if the creature was preparing to kill him, something changed.

The entire creature twitched and shifted, currents of ice and snow masking its body in a flurry of bluish white. The neck, the wings, the slender legs, the body, the sweeping tail—they all changed within a matter of seconds. Some villagers glanced up, curious by the noise of a whirlwind, the children trembling in simultaneous excitement and fear, and Anna, herself, was the only person completely standing as she watched the spectacle unfold.

Once the storm drifted into nothingness, a wave of collective gasps sounded within the square. Anna could feel the rising lump in her throat, sweat glistening on her flesh despite the freezing cold, and she stared directly at the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her life.

Similar to her dragon form, and bearing a resemblance so uncanny that it would've made sense to see both figures standing next to each other, she was skinny but strong, colorful yet pale and relatively bland. Her face was gaunt, with high cheekbones, her skin almost as pale as the snow displayed around her, her shoulders pulled back in a way that resembled regality. She was draped in a gown made entirely of silken ice and water; it was classic material taken directly from a spell book.

From the angle Anna was standing, she could see that the woman's luscious platinum hair was woven into a braid. Her eyes were large, brimming like twin aqua gemstones; they were curious, searching, and devoid of any positivity. Her lips set in a thin, hard line, her jaw clenched, and her brows furrowed dangerously.

She was _livid_.

Foolishly enough, Anna felt self-conscious… among other things.

Her face burned hot with sudden realization as the woman stared with absolute disgust and _hatred _towards the trembling Kristoff, who was, without a doubt, just as surprised at her transformation and _astounding beauty _as the rest of them.

Snow picked up in steady currents around the villagers; Anna knew it was this woman's doing. How else could the currents be moving in a perfect circle, surrounding each individual person perfectly? They were caged in, and there was no way out.

"_Despicable…" _the woman breathed, her voice as sharp and piercing as steel. "Foolish creatures. _All of you_. Believing I would take the life of a human for naught. Yet I suppose it's to be expected, with how shallow the people of Arendelle have become." She swept her arm out, casting massive pillars of ice to strike from the earth like vicious fangs. The villagers were pushed back, moving quickly out of the way, as mothers and fathers alike scrambled to get their children out of the way.

Screams erupted from the crowd, and even the soldiers were hesitant, their weapons tenderly poised, though no sound left their gawking mouths.

"It is because of all of you, all of you _leeches, _that the name of Arendelle is soiled. I should get it over with and kill you all." She paused, glancing up and casting her eyes suspiciously over the crowd. She was quiet for a few seconds; Anna could hear the rapid pulsing of her heart, fear and nervousness clinging to her like a second skin. "Though, I will not, for it is fruitless." She turned bitterly towards the unmoving form of Kristoff, the apparent offering that was deemed to satisfy her.

Anna hesitated. She had to do something.

"The storm will only continue. Nothing will change, as it has been the same for the last century." The woman's eyes flashed dangerously, and suddenly she swept her hands toward the skies, as if commanding the very fabric of the weather to bend to her will. Within moments, icicles shaped like devastating swords scattered above their heads. "If anyone moves, they will perish. Mark my words." She paused, her shoulders loosing tension. "It amuses me, that after one hundred years, all of you would think that offering a petty _boy _such as this… that offering the life of one of your own, would actually appease me."

She smirked cruelly, a devastating slash across her angelic face that made Anna's blood boil.

_Think, think, think._ Those icicles were prepared to kill, no matter what would happen at this point. She knew that she had to do something; she just wasn't sure _what. _

"Wait."

The woman stopped, blinking owlishly in confusion. She slowly turned to her right, facing the perpetrator who would dare speak to her in this dire moment of crisis. The weight of the world seemed to crash on Anna's shoulders, as her willingness to let the man she loved leave this situation alive plagued her senses, and her mouth formed words before she could put a stop to them.

The woman—this barbaric _monster_—had the same exact expression, though the sick smile was gone. She was glaring, her eyes searing holes into Anna's.

"You're incredibly foolish, if you believe you can talk to a creature such as myself in that manner, and get away with it."

Each word dripped with venom, but the commoner was determined; her life momentarily flashed before her eyes, venturing into the streets picking pockets with ease and teasing Kristoff about each and every heist.

"Anna, don't—," Kristoff began, but he was immediately blasted to the edge of the square with a quick flick of the woman's wrist; a block of ice was enough to fling his body like a weightless puppy. She was clearly bored with him, as her attention was now fixed on the girl who was stupid enough to distract her.

"I'm not interested in quarreling with weaklings," she whispered stonily. The woman turned to Anna once more, raising her hand and beckoning with two curling fingers to come closer. "Do not make me wait."

Anna shivered, her bones quaking in apprehension. Swallowing and putting on her greatest blank face, she slowly strolled towards the most frightening person she'd ever met in her life… hell, she wasn't even a person, but an ethereal mask that belonged to a dragon. One that, probably, ate common girls like her for breakfast.

When she came closer, she realized, with a jolt of surprise, that the woman was even _more_ exotic up close. Her features were finer, her eyelashes as black as onyx, curled naturally and with total ease. She had the slightest rosy tint to her cheeks, betraying a sense of childishness and youth that she undoubtedly did not have.

"Why would you risk your life for a buffoon?" The woman tilted her head to the side, sizing the villager up and down with an unimpressed, yet interested flash dancing across her eyes. "Your comrades were quite willing to shed his blood for the sake of their safety, so why are you being the stupid one? Foolish enough to witness great power, and approach it without concern?"

She was so formal. It was like listening to a princess… or, even worse, a _queen_.

Anna swallowed, struggling to keep her composure. She couldn't believe the situation she was in. "He's a good man." She didn't want to reveal her darkest secrets, but at this point, it was now or never, and if her expectations played out correctly, she would be dead before Kristoff would have time to react. "I love him. I would do anything for him."

The woman blinked, stepping back slightly, as if someone told her that a family member passed away. The shock was there for a split second before disappearing completely, replaced by hard, unspoken amusement. "_Love_." She shook her head, suddenly turning her back to the mortal girl with a quick swish of her dress. "There is no such thing. Only avarice. Only greed. Only _envy_." She said each word as if she'd rehearsed it a thousand times over, huddled somewhere dark and secure within the deep, dense corridors of her mind.

Anna was too terrified to retort, but the flame bubbling in her chest made her, once again, say things that she wished she had control over. "I don't see how you can speak for my feelings!" she spat, biting her tongue harshly afterwards. "I…" she bristled, noticing that the woman was still turned away, but she was definitely listening. If she weren't careful, a spike of ice would undoubtedly be piercing her chest quite soon… "Take me instead. Leave him be, and take me, please. I'm begging you now, as a villager, as a citizen of Arendelle, to take my blood and kill me, rather than him."

It seemed like the world had stopped turning. Anna predicted a million different scenarios, but she refused to glance over at the unconscious form of Kristoff. She didn't want to see the light streak of blood forming from his concussion, but at least he wasn't dead.

"… You are willing to risk a lot." The woman did not face her, but Anna heard her loud and clear; a disembodied whisper disappearing into the cold, bitter wind.

Anna hesitated. "_Please._ Please, I will do whatever it takes for him to be safe. For the village to be safe." It felt so ironic now, being in this position. She and Kristoff had worried since the beginning of their thieving practice that they would be caught and eventually executed, but now she was standing her, begging for said execution, at the hands of a beautiful woman who could turn into a dragon.

Since when did she become a martyr?

The woman seemed lost in thought, but once she turned to Anna, this time her eyes shone with utmost curiosity and a glimmer of something else that the freckled female could not decipher. The cruel smile was gone, replaced by a simplistic frown with the perplexed image of a confused child or toddler.

If Anna weren't in her current situation, she would've found it adorable. She then squeaked once the woman's face hardened once more, solid as wood.

"I accept your plea," she stated loudly, grabbing the attention of the terrified people straddled around them, each person huddled to the ground in terrified positions. Anna could hear their desperate chants, their prayers for survival. "But, no blood will be shed today."

Anna blinked, an overwhelming wave of relief sweeping over her body. She relaxed, and a brilliant smile overtook her lips. Perhaps this was a dream after all, and she had been deluding herself for far too long—

"I will not kill you, but you _will_ come with me."

Anna's eyes jolted wide, and she almost dropped to her knees. _What?_

"I…" She clamped her mouth shut. _I need to be smart with what I ask her. Remember, she can stab you whenever she wants, with just a snap of her fingers. _"I—I don't understand why you'd want me to come with you—"

"It's to my _understanding_ that you offered yourself in return for the man you apparently _love_." The word was so harshly addressed, it sounded ironic. "You will come with me, and you will keep quiet about your complaints. Have I made myself clear?" She folded her arms across her chest, the winds starting to pick up once more. "In return, I will not harm another living soul in this village. Their sacrifice for the impending winter, is you, village girl, and I will do what I desire with that choice."

The thief couldn't believe this. Everything had changed so quickly, and she was not expecting this turn of events. She glanced back, watching the relieved, smiling faces of the commoners and workers and groundskeepers who would _live _because of _her_, a pickpocket who stalked solders and swiped their coppers for her own cause…

When Anna turned back towards the woman, she noticed she was _changing_. Her skin was slowly rippling with familiar crystalline scales, her eyes turning larger, rounder, and her teeth growing viciously sharp.

Her voice was more haunting, clearly propelling from the depths of her mind as she took the grand form of the fabled dragon that would take her away from Arendelle.

_I'm sorry, Kristoff. _Anna held her breath. _It's for the good of everyone_.


End file.
